Meet The Brewer : Paul Halsey, Purity Brewing Co

This week’s Meet the Brewer comes from Paul Halsey at Purity Brewing Co, (He’s not the brewer but he is the MD) We are quite big fans of Purity here at Beer Reviews, they don’t make many beers but the beers they do make are great. I also placed second in their My Dog is Ugly Competition. So over to Paul to fill you in on a little bit more about them:

What is different about your brewery? Purity has developed into a brand, in a seemingly saturated market, that is innovative, fresh and funky, and appeals to younger men as well as women, in addition to traditional ale drinkers.

The brewery also has a strong commitment to the environment, which is reflected in our resourceful approach to waste management. We have an innovative pond and wetland system to treat waste water. The wetland system sends liquid waste through nine stages including ponds, ditches, a reed bed and a weir, throughout which it is cleaned and filtered by the surrounding trees feeding on the effluent and aquatic plants helping to re-oxidise the water.

How long have you been brewing for? We produced our first barrel of beer in December 2005.

How did you get into brewing? I have spent the past 20 years in the brewing industry. I first joined the Bass Graduate Scheme in 1988. During my time at Bass, I worked within different segments of the sales operation as Sales Development Manager, Sales Training Manager and Sales Manager.

Then in 1994, I became Sales Director for a regional brewer that was part of a management buy-out from Bass. In 1998, I decided I wanted a new challenge and diversified into pubs and restaurants where I was lucky enough to conceive, design, project manage and operate two successful and award-winning restaurants in Yorkshire.

But my real passion has always been for brewing, so setting up Purity allowed me to share my love of producing and drinking premium quality beers with the general public.

What beers do you brew regularly? We produce three award-winning brands, Mad Goose, a zesty pale ale; Pure Gold a refreshing golden ale; and Pure UBU, a premium amber beer.

What special/seasonal beers do you brew? We don’t!

Where do you think the future of brewing lies? Brewing is all about quality, consistency and being innovative. The premium brand owners with a real point of difference have a strong future.

What is you proudest moment in brewing? My own personal proudest moment was being named Bass’ Sales Manager of the Year in 1990.

But I’m more proud of the numerous awards that Purity’s beers have won over the past few years, which are a testament to the quality of our ales. These include:

Pure UBU being Highly Commended in the World’s Best Golden Ale category of the 2009 World Beer Awards, organised by Beers of the World magazine.

Mad Goose won the Gold award in the Champion Best Bitters (4.1 : 4.5%) category at the 2009 SIBA National Beer Competition.

SIBA Beer Competition for the Midlands region at the Robin Hood CAMRA Beer Festival, October 2008.

Gold in the ‘Best Bitter’ (4.1 : 4.5%) category for Mad Goose.

Gold in the ‘Bitters and Pale Ales’ (up to 4.0%) category for Pure Gold.

Silver for Mad Goose and Bronze for Pure Gold in the ‘Overall Champion of the Competition’ category.

Mad Goose - My favourite of the Purity Beers

What was last beer you drank? Pure UBU

What is your favourite hop? Cascade

What is your brewing ambition? For Purity to become a respected regional brewery and the preferred choice within our category.

Do you have a Brewing hero/inspiration? Most German breweries based on the quality and varying styles they brew.

8 comments on “Meet The Brewer : Paul Halsey, Purity Brewing Co”

It’s a real shame the actual Purity brewers didn’t fill this in. There’s so many awards for brewers that they become quite meaningless. And I don’t genuinely believe this guy actually loves beer, and perhaps should work for Debenhams or something. That’s not to say I don’t like their beers…I do, but the other brewers who have done this seem a bit more into the crafting of beer than the sales and branding of their product. Maybe I’m just moaning.

I think it’s unfair to compare him with the other ‘meet the brewers’, it’s not apples and apples.

I think he does love beer, or he wouldn’t have set up the brewery, someone with his background could easily take up a corporate job (with Debenhams or any big company) you wouldn’t put yourself through the pain and stress of setting up a regional brewery in an already saturated and declining market unless you genuinely love beer and have a real belief that what you can produce is better than anything else out there.

I think it’s just a function of his position high up the food chain that he can’t miss the opportunity to get in Purity’s position on corporate responsibility and their marketing plans – to me it would seem more strange if he hadn’t mentioned it.

I think this is a very different piece and to compare it fairly we need to here from the actual brewer

I’m fence-sitting on this – Andy made it clear very early on that Paul is not a hands-on brewer at Purity, and the interview isn’t maybe the world’s most dynamic, but as Kristy suggests, it would be a bit odd for a guy to sink money, time & huge effort into something that he didn’t really feel a connection with.

I’m sure the guy sincerely apologises for not declaring his penchant for cardigan wearing, affiliation with local Morris Dancers or his collection of beard photos since pubity…

However, after questioning his authenticity to Pure brewing heritage, one thing for sure the evolution of brewing ‘Proper’ beers with the style of modern branding can only be Praised for the long term future of Real Ale.

Hi Paul! just saying hello,last time we met I came over to Highgate,I bought Rumours club (NIGHTMARE)I was at Stechford 1988,when we first met.I rememer good times it goes fast ah!I was talking to a friend and your name came up.Good Luck……Ken Vincent